Good Golly, Miss Molly

Last Thursday night was Molly's debut of her dance solo, "Good Golly, Miss Molly." I was a nervous wreck all day long awaiting her performance & wondering how she would react to being on stage all alone. She, along with her fellow "Ferbettes", started off the night with their group dance. They did such a great job! Then, it was off to get her dressed for her solo. I, nervously, returned to my seat & saw our sweet little girl walking out for her debut. She got in position...I held my breath...And, then...I had NOTHING to be worried about at all...She did a WONDERFUL job & absolutely loved doing it. I cannot wait to see her do it again! And, maybe, just maybe, I'll breathe next time!

Motherhood: Being REAL

The Velveteen Rabbit has always been one of my favorite books. Recently, one of its passages made me think about being a Mother:

"What is REAL?" asked the Rabbit one day, when they were lying side by side near the nursery fender, before Nana came to tidy the room. "Does it mean having things that buzz inside you and a stick-out handle?"

"Real isn't how you are made," said the Skin Horse. "It's a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become real."

"Does it hurt?" asked the Rabbit.

"Sometimes," said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful.

"When you are Real you don't mind being hurt."

~ Margery Williams The Velveteen Rabbit

What a busy month March has been already! I am really looking forward to this weekend with high hopes that it will be pretty weather that we can get out & enjoy.

Eric & I enjoyed our recent trip to Washington, D.C. with exception to having to be away from Molly for so long. We really learned a lot about a few bills that are currently in front of our Representatives that could have a major impact on farmers and the agricultural industry. We met with several Representatives (including our own District 10 Rep. John Barrow) and with Senators Chambliss and Issakson.

But, by far, our favorite part of the trip was getting to meet & spend time with other young farmers from Georgia. We made a lot of new friends that we hope to continue to keep in touch

with.Last Thursday night, Molly competed in her school's beauty pageant.

It was her very first pageant, so I was a little nervous about how she'd do on stage... However, she did pretty good for her first time and even got 3rd runner-up. We were very proud of her!She came off stage saying, "I want to do that again!"

Saturday, Molly & I were honored to be part of my cousin Stefany's wedding. Stefany was such a beautiful bride, the wedding went off without a hitch & the weather could not have been more beautiful. It was a wonderful day!

Beaver Creek, Colorado

We had an absolutely wonderful time on our trip to Beaver Creek, Colorado. I've never seen so much snow in my life, and nothing could prepare us for how beautiful it is there. Here are some pictures of the highlights of our trip...

The view from our room was breath-taking...Here's what it looked like without Molly standing in front of it...There were huge statues of animals all throughout the village...Here's Miss Priss patiently waiting for her turn to tube down Haymaker Hill...She was saying "Spin me FAST!"...My favorite picture from the entire trip...Here we are getting ready to go ice-skating in the center of the village...Molly & Eric are ready to snow-mobile...this turned out to be our favorite part of the entire trip!Jacey & me...Shannon in his "Nascar"uniform...The whole gang about half way up to the summit...Sorry, Shannon...I couldn't help but post the picture of you getting stuck....Here's Jacey showing how deep the fresh snow is...We stopped at the summit (about 11,000 feet) & went in this little log cabin for some hot chocolate & apple cider...

And to warm up by the roaring fire...Can you guess the name of this mountain? Just read the slopes...S...K...Y!

Let It Snow, Let It Snow...

Just when we get everything together to take a trip to Colorado so that Molly can see some snow...

We got a few inches here in south Georgia!

Who would have ever guessed that we'd see this much snow over the weekend!

It was so beautiful & definitely has us geared up for our upcoming trip.

Because it gave us a small preview of just how much Molly enjoys playing in the snow!

The Countdown Is On...

...only 3 more days before Molly visit's Dr. Hodge's again for x-rays & hopefully to get her boot off. ...only 5 more days before Valentine's Day. ...only 9 more days before we leave for Colorado...woo-hoo! ...only 21 more days before the guys leave for Argentina. ...only 28 more days before Eric & I leave for Washington, D.C. ...only 30 more days before Mo's first beauty pageant. Wow, the next month is going to be BUSY!

We've Graduated!

Well, we've graduated out of the hot pink cast into a post-op boot/leg brace for Molly's broken toe. However, she and I both liked the cast a lot better. The boot has been a pain in the neck...or foot in this case! And, finally, we have everything set for our Colorado trip. Lodging, flights and car rental have all been reserved & we're getting really excited about it. The only thing left now is for Molly's foot to heal so she'll be able to run & play when we get there. Tomorrow, we're heading over to Pulaski to find Molly a dress for her very first beauty pageant. She's decided that she wants to participate in her school pageant this year & I think it will be a lot of fun. But, unfortunately, I will not be here to watch her that night. Eric & I will be in Washington, DC for a Young Farmer convention that entire week. I'm a little (actually a LOT) bummed out that I'm going to miss her first pageant, but I know she'll be in good hands. And, I'll be cheering her on...all the way from D.C.!